Thailand

Been spending the last few days at what can only be described as paradise, a.k.a. my friends' house down in the south of Thailand, where orchids seem to grow like weeds and where the natural white noises {rain, birds and systematically situated fountains} put the best of those relaxation CDs to shame. Top that with American electrical outlets aplenty (read: Ernie and I are no longer forced to share the lone adapter we inherited from Lucky) (not that we didn't have ample opportunities to buy more but somehow this task never made it to the nonexistent priority list).

And I haven't even mentioned the world class company. Let's just say, life is pretty perfect right now.

I have no intention of going up to Bangkok. I'd rather stay put right here in the middle of nowhere for a bit, catching up with friends, enjoying the rain, the lack of need for hair and make-up, the coconuts and the world's best mangoes. I know I say "best mangoes" about a lot of countries but what can I say, I love mangoes.

Rain rain don't go away. Such a nice contrast to the big cities of the last few weeks. Also a nice break from hotel life.

Spicy food and I get along famously -- always have. (We go way back.) Don't really understand how locals are so tiny though, I would look like a cow if I had constant access to food like this.

Having clean laundry truly is a blessing and nothing beats the comfort of Thai pants. What they lack in flattering virtues they certainly make up for in comfort and let's not forget the clever and much appreciated one-size-fits-all approach that facilitates my constant food consumption.

Giant shirts are another efficient method of camouflaging the side effects of too many meals. My current motto is comfort first, looks second and I can't even be bothered with make-up.

Doesn't Spring just make you feel like you're waking up to a whole new world? I am too ecstatic for words, so all I am going to say is I am on a mission to locate my favorite handbag, the one I bought at Bloom in Bangkok a year and a half ago. That bag alone makes me feel so happy and summery. And fresh. And new. And travely.

Not wearing it very often is my artificial effort to preserve its exclusiveness -- mortal nonsense, I know.

I'd love to be in Bangkok right now, I tell you.... sipping my coffee at some Thai joint with Geoff. Then again, Spring is here and it's pretty awesome here too. And I am sure some woman in Bangkok is daydreaming about being in Florida right now, so there, Agnes, stop complaining, get off your computer and go get yourself some Spring air.

{This is not mine, but it's very similar. I have to find mine before I can photograph it. Actually, wait, I posted pictures of it... here. This one, as well as their logo is from Bloom's website -- totally worth checking out.}

Sure, doctors' waiting rooms can be fun sometimes, especially if the coffee is fresh. It's just that after you've read all the magazines, used the bathroom, and gotten a kick out of the 350 pound guy sitting next to you gulping down an XXL Coke -- exemplary promotion for the head to toe Nike he's wearing, there isn't much fun left to be had.

Killing all the waiting time staked out in a parking lot on the other hand, with Geoff observing and narrating every move of an armadillo, just reminded me why in spite of this humongous freaky uphill battle we are fighting, I still love my life.

And just when I thought the husband can't get any more lovable, here I am, just minutes after the most reviving 2-hour Thai massage he bought for me, delivered by my favorite Thai masseuse, in the comfort of my home, complete with Tibetan music, a crackling fire, candles, incense and the whole nine yards. All while he spent the evening upstairs googling armadillos.

Until next time.

Agnes

x

p/s: That's what an armadillo looks like, by the way. I had never seen one before, except when Ross was dressed as one on FRIENDS :-)

I find the abandoned aspect of winter so calming. Or maybe it's just me, maybe the absence of crowds and noise just suits my mood, who knows. It sure soothes my soul.

When Geoff and I bought this place we didn't really shop around, just wanted a place for between travels. In fact I stumbled onto it on the internet on a completely disrelated search -- was sold on the spot.

I don't take long to decide on something. It's got something to do with infinitely trusting my own decisions plus most things just aren't important enough to be overcomplicated. I am telling you, if I ever get captured in a war or something, I won't need physical torture to confess to anything: just lock me in the same cell with someone who scrutinizes every petty thing, and I'll talk... it doesn't even have to be an insurance salesman. Or if you want me to confess faster, just tie me to a chair and play gangsta-rap and I'll confess to anything...

Anyway, what was I talking about? Yes, that we do actually have a pretty nice view, because our place turned out to be lake front. Or more like, pond-front {"pond-front" would make a good word too}.

We've got an overall organic feel, I think.

x

We seem to gravitate towards natural wood and bamboo.

x

I swear half of the stuff we own we bought while traveling.

Thai teapot, Malaysian tray, Indian tea.

Sri Lankan pillow -- I love this pillow.

Thai and Malaysian pillow covers. The front one is made of sandalwood (seriously) and it smells so good!

My tea box from Malaysia. This is mainly for guests, I tend to lean towards loose tea.

It's raining cats and dogs outside which renders me housebound and that usually yields a longwinded post that's neither here nor there. But it's kind of fun to peek into someone's house, {in a non-creepy of way}, right?

Hope you enjoyed the tour, if you did, I might post more house interior pictures.

It's just that I have a special love affair with tropical flowers, namely Indian Jasmine (ah, the intoxicating smell), waxy Asian lilies and mostly, the queen of them all -- orchids.

I think this one might be my favorite Summer yet, in terms of places I have been. Yes, people, I am discovering how much I love my home...

When I look at our orchids I can't help but get flashbacks of the six or seven weeks I spent in Thailand last year. I absolutely loved every minute of it, in spite of all the tragedy that brought me there in the first place.

May, 2008 -- My friend John, who is also our handyman and thusly a semi-regular visitor to our home (Jamie, my cat used to think that John actually lived here), was here fixing our backdoor just a few days after one of the deadliest hurricanes of all time claimed hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives in Myanmar. On the spur of the moment, John and I decided to fly down to Thailand and see if they needed volunteers. Lucky was contemplating coming along too, but he couldn't make it. Plus it's not like we had any concrete ideas of what we would end up doing down there, especially considering that the Myanmar government was rejecting all foreign aid and visas. Well, anyway, within days of our arrival, we made friends with some awesome people down in Bangkok. I'll never forget these people, ever, however motley a crew we were, we were such a great little group of fast friends.

A couple of days after the Myanmar Embassy was set on fire, a lovely old lady took me out of Bangkok to introduce me to some Thai big shots at the Ministry of Health.

Never have I ever seen as many orchids in my entire life as I did on the way to the Ministry... ah, you wouldn't believe it, they were growing everywhere like weeds. It was out of this world, I tell you.

I can't look at an orchid now and not think of Thailand. You see, I have seen the most beautiful orchids before, in Malaysia, in Singapore, growing on trees, but on that trip, in Thailand, orchids were the only constant factor in the ever changing scenery... See, one minute you're talking to a Burmese guy who's worried that his family might have died in the hurricane and there's not a thing in the whole wide world he can do, the next minute you're having tea with high powered individuals in the Ministry, surrounded by people who have the power and influence to do anything and beyond. One minute you're getting your visa denied because the Embassy is in flames, right in front of your eyes, the next minute you're sitting in a five star hotel's state-of-the-art restaurant in a meeting with a non-profit who luckily obtained visas from before the hurricane. One minute, in some hush-hush meeting you're being shown underground photographs of dead bodies of children rotting in the cholera infected waters down in the Delta, the next minute you're in your room being spoiled by exotic food the staff sent up for you as they noticed you hadn't eaten all day. And through all of that, orchids everywhere. On every plate your food is served on, by every soap dish in every bathroom you use, growing wild on every porch you pass and behind the left ear of the street vendor outside my hotel where I stop and buy fresh coconut water.

And now, a year later, while sipping my morning coffee, half mindedly listening to the thunder I notice that wherever I look I see our breathtakingly beautiful orchids blossoming in this rainy summertime we've got here.

What's not to like?

My 'vanda' orchids growing "naked" (not in pots, just hanging) allowing the roots to dangle naturally as they would in the forest canopy. (After the rain)

I really need to find my real camera soon as these iPhone photos don't do justice to these beauties I tell you.

No need to throw away the spent flowers, they look great on the breakfast table...